Love obeys!

Love obeys!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

John 14:31
But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

Jesus loved the Father and therefore He obeyed Him every moment of His life. His obedience was the key to His extraordinary success, His undeniable impact and His outstanding personality which distinguished Him from the world.

Jesus wanted the entire world to know, by His obedience, that He loves His Father. He taught us, love is incomplete without obedience. His obedience to the Father proved His love for the Father. Just like Jesus obeyed His Father, we are to obey Jesus, the head of the church. Your love for Jesus can only be expressed and shown by your obedience to His commandments. Jesus said in John 14:15, 'If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.' He said in John 14:24, 'He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.' Your obedience is a response to the Lord's love for you. We love because the Lord first loved us. Your obedience is an expression of your faith in Jesus Christ and your love for Him. Jesus said in John 15:10, 'If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.' Jesus abided in His Father's love by obeying the word of His Father and therefore the enemey couldn't touch him. Similarly, we abide in the love of Jesus by keeping the commandments of Jesus. I Corinthians 7:19 says, Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. I John 3:23 says, And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. We do what His word and His Spirit says, because we are doers of the word and we are led by His Spirit. Obedience pleases the Lord!

Friend, Jesus is our standard and our greatest example in life, therefore we look to Him and consider Him in every arena of life and every step of the way. His life teaches us, His words feed us and His presence makes all the difference in our lives. His life teaches us the need and the power of obedience. Keep your eyes on Jesus and let His life, His word and His Spirit lead you to the greatest days of your life. Follow your Shepherd and the best is yet to come. Love Obeys!